Obama backs Planned Parenthood in political fight WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama vowed Friday to join Planned Parenthood in fighting against what he said are efforts by states to turn women’s health back to the 1950s, before the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide, and singled out the GOP-governed states of North Dakota and Mississippi for criticism. “When politicians try to turn Planned Parenthood into a punching bag, they’re not just talking about you,” Obama said, becomin...

Hearing set in suit over 12-week abortion ban LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A hearing is scheduled next month in a federal lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ ban on most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. A court document filed Thursday showed a hearing is set for May 17 in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Reproductive Rights Center on behalf of two Arkansas doctors who perform abortions. The lawsuit claimed the 12-week ban denies patients their constitutional right to en...

Lauded youth services official to retire LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas Department of Human Services official who addressed an array of problems in the state’s juvenile justice program says he will retire. Ron Angel announced Thursday he intends to start retirement on June 1. Angel, 66, was brought aboard in 2007 to address problems at the state’s youth lockups that included child suicides, poor education and safety violations. Angel worked to improve educational and behavioral healt...

Politics on hold at the dedication of Bush library DALLAS (AP) — George W. Bush shed a sentimental tear. Barack Obama mused about the burdens of the office. Bill Clinton dished out wisecracks. Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush chimed in, too, on a rare day of harmony at the dedication of the younger Bush’s presidential library that glossed over the hard edges and partisan divides of five presidencies spanning more than three tumultuous decades. “To know the man is to like the man,” Obama decla...

Crossing a ’red line’? US says Syria used poison WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House declared Thursday that U.S. intelligence indicates Syrian President Bashar Assad has twice used deadly chemical weapons in his country’s fierce civil war, a provocative action that would cross President Barack Obama’s “red line” for a significant military response. But the administration said the revelation won’t immediately change its stance on intervening. The information, which has been known to the adminis...

The Bush and Clinton families, on stage in Texas DALLAS (AP) — Together on stage, the two families who have dominated American politics for the past two decades joined Thursday to pay tribute to the opening of George W. Bush’s presidential center. Whether the families will have another act — in 2016 — was the unspoken subtext. President George H.W. Bush, frail and seated in a wheel chair, beamed with pride, thanking the audience for honoring “our son.” President Bill Clinton, who defeated th...

Senate passes bill to ease FAA furloughs WASHINGTON (AP) — With flight delays mounting, the Senate approved hurry-up legislation Thursday night to end air traffic controller furloughs blamed for inconveniencing large numbers of travelers. A House vote on the measure was expected as early as Friday, with lawmakers eager to embark on a weeklong vacation. Under the legislation, which the Senate passed without even a roll call vote, the Federal Aviation Administration would gain authorit...

US applications for unemployment aid drop to 339K WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the second-fewest in more than five years. The drop suggests that layoffs have declined and that job growth may pick up from last month’s sluggish pace. Applications for benefits dropped 16,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average declined 4,500 to 357,500. Applications are a proxy for layoffs. When the...

Piece-by-piece on immigration in House WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will tackle the immigration issue in bite-size pieces, shunning pressure to act quickly and rejecting the comprehensive approach embraced in the Senate and endorsed by President Barack Obama, a key committee chairman said Thursday. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., declined to commit to finishing immigration legislation this year, as Obama and a bipartisan group in the Senate want to d...

Dems, GOP talk up deficit reduction, but don’t act WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberals’ loud objections to White House proposals for slowing the growth of huge social programs make it clear that neither political party puts a high priority on reducing the deficit, despite much talk to the contrary. For years, House Republicans have adamantly refused to raise income taxes, even though U.S. taxes are historically low, and the Bush-era tax cuts were a major cause of the current deficit. And now, top Democ...

Spending cuts may deep-six crucial flood gauges WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 100 crucial gauges that warn of imminent flooding or lack of needed water will be shut down starting next month as part of the federal government’s automatic budget cuts. Some are in the nine states threatened with spring flooding, U.S. Geological Survey officials said in interviews with The Associated Press. In rivers where flooding is imminent, such as near Fargo, N.D., officials are scrambling to keep needed moni...

Referendum sought on Walmart zoningA petition is being circulated that would allow Russellville voters to decide whether to keep or overturn an ordinance that would allow for construction of a Walmart Neighborhood Market. The ordinance in question was passed by the City Council earlier this month and rezones property located at South Vancouver Avenue and West Main Street to a planned unit development (PUD). City officials have confirmed being approached by organizers working to...

A risk including gay partners in immigration bill? WASHINGTON (AP) — Frustrated at being left out of an immigration overhaul, gay rights groups are pushing to adjust a bipartisan Senate bill to include gay couples. But Democrats are treading carefully, wary of adding another divisive issue that could lose Republican support and jeopardize the entire bill. Both parties want the bill to succeed. Merely getting to agreement on the basic framework for the immigration overhaul, which would create a...

Long-term care in aging US: Not for me, poll says WASHINGTON (AP) — We’re in denial: Americans underestimate their chances of needing long-term care as they get older — and are taking few steps to get ready. A new poll examined how people 40 and over are preparing for this difficult and often pricey reality of aging and found two-thirds say they’ve done little to no planning. In fact, 3 in 10 would rather not think about getting older at all. Only a quarter predict it’s very likely that they’...

Rhode Island on way to be 10th state to allow gay marriage PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island is on a path to becoming the 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry after a landmark vote in the state’s Senate on Wednesday. The Senate passed gay marriage legislation by a comfortable 26-12 margin, following a House vote of approval in January. The bill must now return to the House for a largely procedural vote, likely next week, but the celebration began Wednesday. Hundreds of people filled...

White House says it’s open to fix on FAA furloughs WASHINGTON (AP) — Under growing pressure, the Obama administration signaled Wednesday it might accept legislation eliminating Federal Aviation Administration furloughs blamed for lengthy delays affecting airline passengers, while leaving the rest of $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts in place. The disclosure came as sentiment grew among Senate Democrats as well as Republicans for legislation to ease the impact of the cuts on the FAA...

Governor vetoes 3 election reform bills LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday vetoed three bills aimed at overhauling the state’s election laws, including measures creating a “voter integrity unit” to investigate fraud and another that would have effectively fired the current Board of Election Commissioners. Beebe rejected the measures shortly after lawmakers recessed this year’s session. In his veto letter, the Democratic governor said he had been urged by election...

Beebe signs ’private option’ plan into lawLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday signed into law a plan to use federal Medicaid money to purchase private insurance for thousands of low-income workers, and state officials said they will now work to get final federal approval for the proposal. The Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders both touted the “private option” as an alternative to expanding Medicaid’s enrollment under the federal health care law. ...

Arkansas Legislature wraps up 100-day session LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Legislature on Tuesday wrapped up its first session since Reconstruction in which Republicans have controlled both chambers by giving final approval to the state’s $4.9 billion budget plan for the coming fiscal year. The House and Senate quickly approved identical versions of the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, which sets spending priorities based on expected revenues, before recessing until May 17 to formal...

Bomb suspect influenced by mysterious radical WASHINGTON (AP) — In the years before the Boston Marathon bombings, Tamerlan Tsarnaev fell under the influence of a new friend, a Muslim convert who steered the religiously apathetic young man toward a strict strain of Islam, family members said. Under the tutelage of a friend known to the Tsarnaev family only as Misha, Tamerlan gave up boxing and stopped studying music, his family said. He began opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He t...